Clinical Advisory Board

Autoimmune Pulmonary Alveolar Proteinosis

Dr. Francesco Bonella is Head of the Outpatients Clinic for Interstitial and Rare Lung Disease and Assistant Professor at the Ruhrlandklinik University Hospital, Essen, Germany. After receiving his MD and Board Certification at the University of Verona, Italy, he earned his international PhD in Interstitial Lung Diseases at the University of Essen under the guidance of Professor Ulrich Costabel. Dr Bonella’s research interests include IPF, alveolar proteinosis, rheumatic-associated ILDs, and sarcoidosis with a special focus on biomarkers, genetic predisposition and applications of bronchoalveolar lavage. In recent years, he has acted as an investigator for major clinical trials in IPF, sarcoidosis and alveolar proteinosis. He is reviewer for numerous scientific journals and has authored many chapters in textbooks, original articles, case reports, editorials and reviews. He co-founded EuPAPNet, the European Network for Alveolar Proteinosis, and the European Reference Network (ERN)-Lung, leading the ILD core network. He is a member of several scientific societies, was Secretary (now Chair elected) of the ERS DPLD group from 2014 to 2017.

Dr. Yoshikazu Inoue, is an Executive Director, Clinical Research Center, National Hospital Organization Kinki-Chuo Chest Medical Center (Osaka, Japan), and an Invited Professor of Infection, Immunology and Oncology Cooperating Course, Graduate School, Osaka University (Osaka, Japan). He studied granulomatous lung diseases in his graduate school, and mucin-like glycoproteins when he was an Assistant Professor in Ehime University. From 1994, he had studied granulomatous lung diseases and pulmonary fibrosis in National Jewish Center for Immunology and Respiratory Medicine (Denver, CO, USA). In 1997, he moved to the current institute (Osaka, Japan). His institute is one of the leading hospitals and research centers for chest diseases, and an important referral center for ILDs in Japan. Their team is doing wonderful practice, domestic and international multicenter trials, and clinical/basic researches. He is a member of Japan Society of Sarcoidosis and Other Granulomatous Disorders (JSSOG), Japanese Respiratory Society, Asian Pacific Society of Fleischner Society, Respirology (APSR), ATS, ERS, WASOG, and more. He has been serving as board members, executive committee, Secretary, and Trustee of the societies. He is a WASOG Executive Committee Member from 2011. He is involved in several international guidelines, global clinical trials of PAP, LAM, IIPs, IPF, etc.

He is also helping patient’s societies/foundations as Medical Advisers (PAP, LAM, and ILDs).

Dr Cliff Morgan qualified from Southampton University in 1978, trained in anaesthesia and critical care medicine in Winchester, Charing Cross and Brompton and added specialty fellowships at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Vancouver General Hospital and at The Royal Brompton before taking a consultant position in the Trust in 1986. In addition to being consultant and Divisional Director of Critical Care Medicine he recently took on the formal role of Chief Clinical Information Officer

Dr. Trapnell is professor of medicine and pediatrics at the University of Cincinnati, director of the Translational Pulmonary Science Center at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC), co-director of the NCATS-NHLBI Rare Lung Diseases Clinical Research Consortium (RLDC), and scientific director of the Pulmonary Alveolar Proteinosis Foundation. After receiving degrees in biochemistry, genetics, and medicine, and specialty training in internal and pulmonary medicine, he first served as staff physician at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). While continuing on as senior staff physician at NIH (as a special volunteer), he established the Division of Virology and Pulmonary Studies at Genetic Therapy Inc./Novartis and served as vice president. In 1997, he moved to Cincinnati where he has maintained continuous NIH funding for a research and training program focused to the development of molecular pathogenesis-based diagnostics and therapeutics for rare lung diseases including pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (PAP), cystic fibrosis (CF), alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (AATD), lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) and others. As director of the Cincinnati CF Therapeutics Development Network Center for more than a decade, he led numerous clinical trials including those resulting in FDA-approval of Creon® and Pancreaze® as therapy of CF. He also participated as co-investigator in the RLDC-based trial resulting in FDA-approval of Sirolimus® as therapy of LAM. His group helped determine the pathogenesis of autoimmune PAP, identified and developed a novel cell therapy for hereditary PAP (pulmonary macrophage transplantation), and established commercial tests for the specific diagnosis of PAP-causing diseases. Also an ardent patient advocate, Dr. Trapnell has worked closely with multiple patient foundations including those for CF, PAP, AATD, LAM, childhood interstitial lung disease, and others.

Persistent MRSA Lung Infection in Cystic Fibrosis

Dr. Dasenbrook is Assistant Professor of Medicine and Associate Director of the Adult Cystic Fibrosis Program at Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) School of Medicine. He is a leading researcher on the effects of MRSA in cystic fibrosis patients. Dr. Dasenbrook co-authored a ground-breaking study in 2010 that showed the impact on survival is a life span that is a median 6.2 years shorter in CF patients with MRSA than those without.

Dr. Flume is a Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics at the Medical University of South Carolina. He oversees a rapidly growing Cystic Fibrosis Center, including the largest adult CF program in South Carolina. He is recognized by the national and international CF community having served on the CF Foundation Center Committee, the Adult Care Consensus Committee, and the Advisory Task Force on Adult Issues, the Professional Education Committee, and as Founding Co-chair of the CF Foundation Pulmonary Practice Guidelines Committee.

Dr. Konstan is the Chairman of the Department of Pediatrics of Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) School of Medicine. In addition, he is the director of The LeRoy W. Matthews Cystic Fibrosis Center at Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital. Dr. Konstan’s academic career has focused on developing new therapies for the lung disease of cystic fibrosis (CF), with a special interest in anti-inflammatory therapies and clinical trial design. He has led numerous national and international CF trials of potentially new therapies for cystic fibrosis, and is regarded as a national and international expert in this disease.

Dr. Ratjen is the Division Chief of Paediatric Respiratory Medicine at The Hospital for Sick Children, Professor of Paediatrics at The University of Toronto, and Senior Scientist at the Research Institute in the Department of Physiology and Experimental Medicine. He is Co-leader of the Cystic Fibrosis center at SickKids and Medical Director of the Clinical Research Unit. Dr. Ratjen has conducted multiple clinical trials addressing cystic fibrosis lung disease including new therapeutic strategies, treatment of airway infections, airway inflammation and other important aspects of the disease.

Dr. Waterer is a respiratory physician at Royal Perth Hospital and is a Professor of Medicine at the University of Western Australia and Professor of Medicine at Northwestern University, Chicago. He is currently the Chair of the American Thoracic Society and Infectious Diseases Society of America Community Acquired Pneumonia Guidelines and a panel member of the ATS/IDSA HAP/VAP guidelines. He has over 150 peer reviewed publication, more than 60 invited international presentations and is on the Editorial Board of 8 journals including the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Chest and the European Respiratory Journal. In addition to his academic qualifications he has an MBA, is currently a board member of the North Metropolitan Area Health Service and a Medical Director at Royal Perth Hospital.